Hey Lovely Ladies,
I am back with I’m back with another liquid lipstick review – this time from Huda beauty. I had ordered this some time back and it took a while to reach me. If you have read my review of the shade “Trophy Wife” earlier, you will know that I was less than impressed with the formula or wear time of the shad. Let’s find out how this one, “Icon” performed.
Product Description:
Icon – a classic peachy pink. Introducing Huda Beauty’s latest lip beautifier: the Liquid Matte, an unrivaled take on the liquid lipstick. The tried and true comfort-wear formula is infused with an exclusive complex to help maintain the lips’ hydration. The lightweight formula glides on a thin coat of color that intensifies as it sets to a matte, transfer-free finish with amazing staying power. You might even forget you’re wearing anything on your lips at all! Pair it with a complementary Huda Beauty Lip Contour to set off your look.
How To Use:
Huda’s tips for the perfect pout:
1. Prep your lips: To improve consistency of application, gently exfoliate with a lip scrub. Blot off any excess oils.
2. For maximum impact, line lips using the Lip Contour and fade towards the center.
3. Apply a thin layer of Liquid Matte in the corresponding or lighter shade to fill in the rest.
4. Allow approximately 30 seconds for color to set and intensify to an opaque finish. Color appearance may vary based on skin tone.
Price:
US $20 / AED 100 / GBP 18
Huda Beauty is now available through their official website, Sephora in US, Harrods in UK, and other online sources. So, technically, they are procurable.
Ingredients:
Packaging:
The packaging is quite eye catching – refer to pics. The lip gloss like tube is square cut – meaning, it’s cuboid in shape and has a doe-foot applicator. The external cardboard packaging which is about 4-5 times the size of the actual tube, has a see through window with the lips around it. . You can see the tube through the transparent enclosure of the cardboard box. Great packaging if you were a collector of sorts, but no, not very practical for storage considering how much space it occupies. I just discard the outer packaging.
My Experience with Huda Beauty Icon Liquid Matte Lipstick:
This is my second Huda Beauty review. Let’s dig in:
Shade: The shade “Icon” described as a classic peachy pink is a beautiful peachy shade when applied. Over time, I have developed quite an appreciation for more neutral shades – dusty rose, peachy pinks, mauve tones – they all look quite flattering on our medium skin tone and are easy to carry off. Coming back to the shade in hand, I find Huda Beauty Liquid Matte shades a bit tricky because they tend to become darker as they dry down – and they can take a while to dry down – about 10 minutes or so. So, all the swatches that you may see online can leave you a bit confused because aprt from the lightening conditions being different, the shade itself changes. So what you see on the internet is true but not through the wear of the product.
“Icon,” on initial application is quite peachy pink, very pretty, very flattering. It would look absolutely stunning on most skin tones. However, as it sets, it loses some of its peachiness and becomes more dusty, still a nice colour but quite a departure from the initial application.
The Company does state that the colour will intensify post application; however, it doesn’t just intensify, it pretty much diversifies!! 😉
Fragrance: I mentioned this while reviewing “Trophy Wife” as well – the product has an asinine sweet smell which lingers on and is quite a turn off. It’s probably there to mask the smell of some other ingredient in the product because I don’t really see why else would sit it there.
Texture: The texture is fairly nice, it’s quite lightweight and extremely well pigmented. The product is quite liquid and you get good application in one swipe. Company’s claims about it being hydrating – they are a bit far fetched! Yes, it isn’t as bad as Kylie’s Liquid lipstick, however, it isn’t “hydrating’ by any standard. You do NOT forget its on! While it does not make your lips prunish and you don’t have drastic tightening/stretching of your lips – you do feel the hint of dryness.
Another thing which turns me off the product is that as time goes on, it starts disappearing from the lips (will discuss that while talking about the lasting power) and starts forming these clumpy bits on the inside of the mouth – on the rim of the disappearing shade – quite unflattering.
The good thing – it does not bleed and isn’t as drying as some other formulas out there. Lastly, the dry down time is fairly long.
Pigmentation: Pigmentation is extremely good!!! It goes on evenly, does not apply streaky nor does not the colour sink into the fine lines of the lips. If you use a bit too much product, there are chances of transference – of the excess product. However, if you stick to using a very thin layer, you still get good pigmentation, but with quicker dry time and no transference.
Lasting Power: Here is the bummer – it isn’t as long lasting as being touted. By “amazing staying power”, if the brand means 4 hours – yes, you get that! Don’t get me wrong – it’s not like the lipstick disappears fully from the lips – like a lip gloss does. No, it’s more like the dreaded ring instead. Every lipstick – liquid or bullet will wear with time or due to consumption of food/drink. I do understand that. However, if it’s a lipstick with good staying power or is actually long lasting, it will disappear only from the inside of the lip – not like half the lip is gone – as in the case of Huda Beauty mattes.
Also, there is no staining – which can be a good or bad thing depending on your personal preference. I quite love a stain because it gives additional color to the lipstick and wherever the lipstick has disappeared, that portion doesn’t look as bad, but this one is like a “one-night stand,” – disappears on you way too quickly – without a trace!
I tried it without the lip liner and then with it too – it did not impact the wear time. I have shared swatches – one of the lip swatch has the lip liner on one side and the lipstick on the other – fresh upon application.
One thing on these lipsticks – yes, defining lips with a lip liner does make application of the liquid faster and cleaner. However, I felt that in the case of Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Icon, it did not benefit too much from the lip liner as base. Meaning, the pigmentation of the lipstick is so good that the liner does not give any additional depth to the shade. If you read my Kylie Lip Kit review – for shade “Spice,” the shade had a hint of translucency. So, the lip liner had helped add depth to the shade. So, you don’t NEED to buy the lip liner if you are buying the lipstick. Anyway, they are sold separately and aren’t bundled together as kit.
To sum this up for you:
Pros of Huda Beauty Icon Liquid Matte Lipstick:
- A beautiful pinky-peach shade – upon initial application.
- Lightweight texture.
- Excellent pigmentation!!!
- Fairly easy to apply with the applicator – you have to be a bit extra careful as the formula is quite thin.
- It applies smoothly and evenly.
- No feathering or bleeding.
- Eye-catching packaging.
- Easy to identify colour from the tube itself.
- Transfer proof!
- Doesn’t NEED the lip contour pencil as a must buy.
Cons of Huda Beauty Icon Liquid Matte Lipstick:
- Very off-putting sickly sweet fragrance.
- Can be a bit drying over time.
- Tends to form mini clumps on the edge of the colour in the inner part of your mouth.
- Breaks down extremely easily and just disappears.
- Does not leave a stain.
- Changes colour post initial application.
IMBB Rating:
3/5
I guess my rating still stands and so does my experience. The difference in shade did not create a difference in my opinion. The product is not bad – a rating of 3 is about an average product. It definitely has excellent pigmentation and applies evenly and is probably one of the lesser drying formulas. However, again i will reiterate the points which make a difference to me:
1. Formula did not live up to the hype created around it. Forget the hype, it didn’t even live up to the claims made by the Company regarding the product.
2. The fragrance is really off putting for me.
3. At $20 price point – you have a gazillion of products in the market to choose from and quite a few are better than this.
4. If I have to look at re-application in 4 hours – why would I bother with a liquid lipstick. When applying a liquid lipstick – one has to be extra careful, it takes more time to ensure an even and clean application. If I have to do re-application after short intervals – I’d rather go with something in a bullet.
Bottomline – it may be your favourite formula and that is okay. You go with whatever works for you. Unfortunately, it does not work for me!
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